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Summer is peak season for Colorado's #1 weather risk

 

Each year in the United States, hundreds of people are struck by lightning. More people are killed by lightning in an average year, than by tornadoes or hurricanes.  And though ninety percent of lightning strike victims survive, most suffer severe, life-long injury and disability.

 

Lightning is Colorado’s number one weather-related risk, with lightning activity significantly increasing during the summer, and most casualties occurring in July. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Colorado ranked number two, tied with Florida, in having the most lightning-related deaths in 2008.

 

Safety experts say that death and injury can be avoided through education and preventive measures. That’s important for parents and coaches to know, because children and teens tend to be outdoors in the summer and active in locations that make them vulnerable to lightning strikes. 

 

On June 3, 2009, two little leaguers, ages 11 and 12, tossed a baseball back and forth as they made their way off the ball field under a somewhat clear North Virginia sky. Their team was ahead by one run after the first inning, before umpires postponed the game due to lightning.

 

“There was a little lightning strike and umpires called for everyone to get off the field,” Debbie Tellier, a Little League parent, told the Free Lance-Star.

Most headed for cars, expecting only a short delay. No one expected what happened next. A lightning bolt blasted the outfield, striking 12-year-old Chelal Gross-Matos. The massive charge apparently transferred to the younger boy. Chelal was killed and his teammate critically injured.

 

The loss of Chelal and injury of his teammate are hard to understand – lightning follows few rules and appears to strike out of nowhere. What we do know from similar tragedies is that open fields – including sports fields – are the number one place where lightning casualties occur in the United States (45 percent),  followed by going under trees to keep dry (23 percent). A complete list of lightning casualties by location is posted on the NOAA Lightning Safety website.

 

The National Weather Service (NWS) has found that many lightning casualties occur before the thunderstorm rains have moved into the area.  The casualty rate actually decreases while the rainstorm is in progress and people seek inside shelter from the rain.

 

Even larger numbers of casualties occur after the rain dissipates. People, in too much of a hurry to go back outside, ignore the fact that lightning continues to be a threat outside the area of heavy rain. Lightning may strike as far as 10 miles from any rainfall. 

 

In addition, the NWS says that numerous studies of people struck by lightning in Colorado show most are lulled into a sense of false security by storms that are producing little cloud to ground lightning activity.  Such cases include a 13-year-old playing softball at Pueblo East High School who was injured in June 2005; a teen playing soccer in Woodland Park who was killed in July 2006; a man coaching baseball in Colorado Springs who was injured in July 2006; a 16-year-old riding a mountain bike in the Bear Basin who was killed in July 2008; a family of five struck while hiking on the American Lake Trail in July 2008, with a 15-year-old girl revived by CPR and a 17-year-old boy injured. The other three family members were not injured.

 

For more Colorado case reviews, visit the Colorado Lightning Resource Page.

As parents, we try to do everything possible to protect our children.  Sometimes things happen in a blink of an eye, beyond our control. But by taking a few extra safety steps, you can reduce your family's risk and enjoy greater peace of mind:

 

If your child is involved in outdoor sports activities, ask about lightning policies and make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to safety. The 2008-09 NCAA sports medicine handbook provides lightning safety guidelines on page 13.  It is followed by organizations such as the Colorado High School Athletic Association.  You may download the handbook for free and share it with coaches and youth sports leaders to promote lightning safety.

 

Remember no place outside is safe when lightning and thunder are occurring in the area. When you see lightning or hear thunder, get into a well-built building or a closed automobile immediately.